Blogging & Twitter Best Practices for HR

Although it is a term that has only been around since the 1960s, human resources is something that is familiar to nearly everyone.  HR refers to both the people who work for an organization and the actual department.  More specifically, Human Resource Management refers to the recruitment, management, and development of the people who work for an organization.

In today’s technology-driven environment, where there is a significant focus on social media, HR professionals are frequently utilizing blogs and Twitter to educate others on what is new in the industry as well as what is considered to be best practices for HR.

Best Practices for Blogging:

The obvious first rule of blogging is to make it interesting.  Write about something that you know well and that many people are interested in and can relate to.  This is something that is easily achievable for HR as it is a subject matter that resonates with organizations and individuals as well.

Write it from your perspective, whenever possible, adding in your firsthand experiences or examples of those you have witnessed.  This will give the reader a real-life example of the concept you’re writing about and make them feel as though they know you better.  This may result in them following your blog and sharing it with others.

Keep the length of your blog somewhere between 400-800 words.  In today’s busy world, with so many social media platforms to keep up with, it is important that your blog delivers your message clearly and quickly.  No one wants to read a blog that goes on and on as though it’s a research paper, at least I know that I don’t.  At some point, you will lose people as their minds drift off to the next thing on their to-do list.  Additionally, make your blog easy to read and scan by using white space, headers, and images that relate to your topic.

Best Practices for Twitter

HR professionals can benefit by using Twitter to recruit, to form relationships with other HR professionals, and to share their blogs about HR.  Having a strong presence on Twitter will increase the recognition of their organizations, which will hopefully help them attract top talent for their open positions.  Some terrific suggestion from Mark W. Schaefer, author of The Tao of Twitter are:

• First, follow, on Twitter, the people that you are hoping to attract. Your goal is to get them, and their followers, to follow you as well.
• Take advantage of free apps such as Twellow that can help you locate new followers.
• Look through your other social media accounts, such as Facebook and LinkedIn for people you can follow and hopefully convert to followers.
• Post relevant information, retweet, and like posts from others. It is important that you Tweet consistently as this will encourage others to follow you and keep your current followers from dropping you.
• Add your Twitter handle to your business card and email signature.
• Join Twitter chats to determine who to follow in your industry and to get your name out there as well.
• Tweet links to your blogs using dynamic headlines that will entice the reader to click on the link.

It is undeniable that the use of social media by HR professionals is growing and quickly transitioning from an optional tool to a staple of the industry.  Twitter and blogging give HR an opportunity to form communities that share best practices and new developments in the industry.  These platforms can also provide the organization with the recognition necessary to attract top talent and new followers for their brand.

Have postings on a social media platform ever made you want to work for that organization?

More great reads:

Blogging Best Practices by Mark Schaefer

4 Step System for Writing a Great Blog Post, Even When You Have Writers Block

The Proven Length of Every Tweet, Facebook Post, and Headline Online

31 Twitter Tips: How to Use Twitter Tools and Twitter Best Practices for Business

The Top 100 Most Social Human Resources Experts on Twitter